


Public Relations

by chaoticTransmissions



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Bickering, Clint Doesn't Have Kids, Darcy Lewis-centric, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Jane Foster is a Good Bro, Kind of-- they're not really enemies, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Public Relations Manager Darcy Lewis, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24369595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticTransmissions/pseuds/chaoticTransmissions
Summary: Darcy Lewis has just been promoted from Scientist Wrangler to the Avenger's PR manager. Her first job is to protect Hawkeye's reputation from rumors about his recent divorce and she's determined to excel at it. But she didn't expect Clint Barton to be so annoying-- or so annoyingly attractively.(Discontinued)
Relationships: Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts off with a POV from Clint, but the majority of the story is Darcy-centric and from her point of view. Also, if you missed it in the tags, this is not completely canon-compliant. I took a lot of liberties with the timeline :) Enjoy!

**_Clint_ **

“First of all, let me ask you how you’re doing,” Pepper Potts said as she slid a magazine across the desk at him. Clint glanced down at it, saw the glossy picture of him exiting a CVS on the cover, and grimaced.

“Hawkeye Buys Birth Control for His New Mistress,” he read, brushing a finger across the grainy close up of his shopping bag. “I’m pretty sure all I bought was tylenol and a Snickers.” Pepper gave him a sympathetic look, patting his hand where it rested on her immaculately neat desk.

“Yes, this particular publication is known for fabrications. Of course, I already have my lawyers going after them for slander. I promise you nothing less than a full retraction by the end of the week, Clint.”

“That’s kind of you, Pepper…” Clint began, fidgeting in his chair and gazing out the floor to ceiling windows lining her office. “But can I ask why the CEO of Stark industries is taking an interest in this?” 

“Can’t I just want to help a friend?” Pepper asked. Clint grinned at her. 

“Not when you’re on the Forbes 30 Under 30. Come on Pepper, I know you care about me and I appreciate that, but level with me here. What is this meeting about?” When he’d gotten a call from Pepper yesterday asking him to come speak with her, Clint guessed it might have something to do with him and Natasha breaking too many training dummies or the fact that he sometimes hid in the vents to avoid mission debriefing. He had definitely not expected news coverage of his recent divorce.

Pepper sighed and when she steepled her fingers the engagement ring on her left hand glittered in the sunlight. It was a massive diamond; Tony Stark never did anything by half measures. Clint suspected the only reason it wasn’t bigger was because Pepper had forbidden it. Clint wondered if the stone secretly had a laser gun or a nanobot or something inside of it. That seemed like something Tony would do. “When Hydra’s files were leaked last year, it changed the landscape of what it means to be a hero forever. Tony and Steve used to be anomalies-- superheroes whose real identities were known to the public. But now everyone in the world knows the names and faces of this team. Fan blogs, paparazzi photos, Vogue covers--”

“Superhero is the new celebrity,” Clint interpreted. Pepper nodded. While he wasn’t as popular as Steve or Tony, Clint had experienced a rise in stardom himself the past year. Having people come up to him in the street and ask for an autograph was still weird to Clint and likely always would be. The spy in him hated being so visible, so known. At least if he put on a hat and sunglasses, he could still pass through crowds unnoticed. And the fact that he’d moved out of he and Laura’s old house and into Stark Tower meant he didn’t have to worry as much about security now that his identity was known. Realizing he was lost in his thoughts, Clint gestured for Pepper to go on. 

“The rumors surrounding your divorce will die down eventually, but the reputation they’ll leave behind is another matter. Believe me. Tony’s been through more public scandals than the Kardashians, so I’m well versed in the damage these sorts of publications can do.” With an elegant sweep of her hand, Pepper dropped the magazine into the garbage. “I’m concerned about the long term impact this could have on you and the team as a whole. The day Natasha leaked those files, the Avengers became more than a team of heroes. You became a brand.” One closely tied to Stark Industries, Clint interpreted.  
  


Sensing the direction of his thoughts, Pepper said “Clint, I’m truly sorry to have to bring this up to you at all. Things between you and Laura are your private business and they should have been able to stay that way. Since they didn’t, however, the best thing you can do for yourself and for Laura is damage control.” Pepper rubbed anxiously at the band of her engagement ring.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” While Clint could understand how a sullying of his reputation might reflect badly on the Avengers, he couldn’t see it being serious enough to warrant a Pepper Potts intervention. 

Pepper chewed her lip. “There’s been more murmurings about the Sokovia Accords.” Clint’s eyebrows went up in surprise. The Sokovia Accords were a proposition within the United Nations, formulated shortly after the release of the Hydra files. Concerned about the power heros wielded, there had been a push to de-privatize the Avengers and put the team under UN control. The Accords had sparked fierce debate both in the UN and the general public, especially when a mandated superhero registry was amended into the documents. Opinions were divided enough that after a few months the accords had been tabled indefinitely. Up until now, Clint had assumed they were dead in the water. Apparently not.

“A few tabloids about your divorce aren’t going to matter, of course,” Pepper assured him, “it’s just that…”

“That anything that makes this team look irresponsible or untrustworthy right now could tip the scales and reignite what is effectively the super powered version of Pandora’s Box.” Clint finished for her. Pepper nodded. 

“I’m acting out of an abundance of caution here, Clint.” There was a long, thoughtful silence before Clint spoke. 

“I never cheated on my ex-wife, you know,” Clint told her. Pepper smiled sadly at him. 

“I know, Clint. And anyone who’s ever met you knows that trash” she nodded her head to the garbage bin, “is pure fiction.” The look on her face almost made Clint feel sorry for the poor sods who’d published it. An angry Pepper Potts was a force to be reckoned with. 

“So what’s your plan?” Clint asked.

Pepper smiled, looking more relaxed this time. “I think it’s time you met the Avengers new Public Relations Manager.” 

**_Darcy_ **

“Darcy if you keep pacing, you’re going to wear through the floor,” Jane said, peeking her head around a stack of schematics almost as tall as she was. The blonde nodded at one of the passing interns and handed him her mug for a coffee refill. “One for Darcy too, please. She needs the caffeine.” 

Vaguely, Darcy thought about how weird it was to have someone else getting coffee _for her._ She’d spent too many years out in the New Mexico desert trying to keep the dust out of Jane’s mug (three sugars, no cream) while her best friend tinkered over a piece of lab equipment so old it was mostly rust, to not feel weird about this. _This wasn’t Darcy’s job anymore._ It was a bittersweet realization. “Of course I won’t wear through the floor Janey,” Darcy dismissed. “It’s probably vibranium or something.” 

Jane chuckled, highlighting a section of a graph while she did. “I doubt that. I’m pretty sure it’s laminated.”

“Laminated vibranium,” Darcy muttered. She noticed Bruce watching her with concern from his section of the lab and waved a miserable hello. Aside from Jane and Thor, Bruce was her closest friend in New York and the only other Avenger she knew. Well, besides Tony of course, but then only barely. 

Darcy had been there two years ago when Jane and Tony met. Tony came to visit Jane’s lab after Thor had ‘accidentally’ left a copy of her research on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge on his coffee table. Although not really subtle, the God of Thunder was a lot slicker than most people gave him credit for. After meeting her and seeing first hand how brilliant Jane was,Tony had offered her a job immediately. It came with a six figure paycheck, a huge lab full of support staff, and equipment that Jane hadn’t built herself with parts from Ebay and RadioShack. Plus the added benefit of being closer to Thor. Jane, of course, accepted the offer. On one condition: Darcy could come with her. Tony glanced first at Darcy and then at the breakers full of what was clearly jello shots in her hands. In Darcy’s defense, they hadn’t been expecting company. “Deal,” was all Tony said, and one week later Darcy was getting on a plane to New York City. 

She’d started out initially as Jane’s assistant. There was a lot to do when they first moved in, including re-organizing all their old files and keeping Jane from passing out when Tony told her she could buy any equipment she wanted, regardless of cost. But once the initial move was done, it became clear that Darcy’s days of trying to do the job of an entire lab team were over.There were other people to run maintenance checks on the machines and sweep broken glass off the floor and the million other tiny chores that had been part of Darcy’s daily life. Which gave Darcy time to focus on documenting Jane’s research and making sure her boss didn’t keel over from poptart induced malnutrition. 

Darcy got used to delegating tasks out to Jane’s lab team and following up on their progress. She got so good at overseeing Jane’s team, that one day a tentative Bruce Banner approached her and asked for help with his. “I know you’re probably very busy,” he’d apologized, fidgeting. Although they’d been working in the same lab for two months, Darcy had only exchanged a few words with the man at that point. He was the sort of man who usually kept to himself. “It’s just that I’m not good in leadership roles. I can handle the science part of it, but I’m not great at communicating to my lab assistants and--”

“Of course I’ll help,” Darcy assured him. Bruce smiled bashfully and just like that, Darcy had adopted another scientist. Their relationship only grew over the following months. Darcy’s friendship with the reclusive Doctor Banner and the successful management of the entire 75th floor lab eventually made its way to none other than Pepper Potts. The Stark Industries CEO had offered Darcy a promotion and a new title-- Lab Manager, a job Darcy had been excelling in for a year in a half now.Then, just this week, she’d offered Darcy a promotion again. But this one was life altering: official Avenger’s PR manager.

Darcy hadn’t seen the connection between the jobs at first, but Pepper, who knew more about most of her employees than they did themselves, seemed confident in Darcy. “You have the proper degree from a very prestigious university. The skills you utilize as lab manager are quite transferable and I’ve even heard that you run the--” Pepper had looked down at the Stark Tablet in her hands-- “Justice4BuckyBarnes twitter account. 50,000 followers, quite impressive.” 

Darcy grinned weakly. How in the nine realms did Pepper know about that? “It’s just a hobby.” She mumbled. “The Hydra leak painted him in a bad light. People need to know that he’s not responsible for what happened while he was brainwashed.”

Pepper smiled warmly. “You have the skill set, Ms. Lewis, and your entire team in the lab speaks highly of you. I believe you are the best choice for this job. I know you won’t let me down.” And just like that, Darcy was hired. 

“Darcy, for Odin’s sake,” Jane pleaded, interrupting Darcy’s thoughts once more. “Sit down, you’re making me dizzy.” Realizing she’d made several more frantic circles while questioning the last two years of her life, Darcy dropped into the chair beside Jane and took the mug of coffee that had somehow appeared without Darcy noticing. The two women sipped in silence for a moment before Jane said “Darcy, I thought you were happy about this new job.”

Darcy set her cup down. “I am. Not that I didn’t love being lab manager, but Communications is what I majored in. A PR job like this has always been my dream.” Not to mention the pay raise was significant. 

“Then why have you been so unsettled this week?” Jane asked. “You don’t seem like a woman who just got her dream job.”

Darcy sighed. “I’m just nervous. I haven’t worked in a formal PR job before. Not since my first college internship, and that was years ago. What if I’m not good at it? What if I fuck up and Pepper hates me and I get banned from the Tower and have start hooking?”

“Darcy, you’re going to be great,” Jane assured her, “and even if you aren’t, you won’t need to start hooking. Unless you want to, of course. We support sex workers in this lab.” Darcy and Jane bumped fists. “If Pepper Potts thinks you’re the woman for the job, then you’re the woman for the job,” Jane swore.

“I’ll miss you, you know,” Darcy said quietly. She grasped Jane’s hand and the scientist squeezed Darcy’s hand in return. “Working with you these past years has been--”

“Stop!” Jane insisted. “Too mushy feely. You’ll make me cry.” They smiled at one another. “You’re going to be great, Darce.” 

On cue, Darcy’s phone rang. She stared at Pepper’s name on the screen for a long moment before picking up. She’d decided that she was going to be the best PR manager the Avengers had ever seen. Nothing would stand in her way. “Hey-o Pepper. What can I do for you?” 

“Darcy,” Pepper greeted. “I have your first assignment.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hawkeye. Darcy’s first assignment was Hawkeye. 

As she headed into the Tower for her first day on the new job, Darcy found herself nervous all over again. Which was dumb, because she shouldn’t be. Darcy was already friends with two of the Avengers and she’d worked in the Tower for ages. But there was a difference between knowing she’d be working for a superhero and _actually working for a superhero._ The rest of the Avengers were different than Thor and Bruce. Darcy had known Thor for several years and considered him like a brother. Before he was an Avenger or the God of Thunder, he was just her friend. And Bruce had been easy to talk to from the start. Aside from the Hulk, he was one of the most down to earth people Darcy knew. 

At least she hadn’t gotten Steve Rogers for her first assignment. If she had to interact with Captain America, Darcy might just die on the spot. Not that Steve would ever have any publicity scandals. The guy basically had the Statue of Liberty tattooed on his forehead. 

Darcy checked her watch. She’d been shuffling her feet out of nerves, which had slowed her down quite a bit. If she didn’t get a move on, she was going to be late to her meeting with Mr. Barton. Darcy glanced around her at the lobby of Avengers tower, which was as crowded with scientists, workers, and tourists as it always was. She was headed up to the residential floors today, which meant using the private elevator at the back of the building. She’d used it a few times going to Thor’s room, so she already knew it was tucked away down a hallway off the main lobby. 

Walking as fast as she could in heels, Darcy made her way down the hallway. There was a man already in the elevator and Darcy called for him to hold the doors. At her cry, he looked up from his phone. Or at least she thought he did. His sunglasses made it hard to tell the direction of his gaze. Darcy handed her ID to the guard at the end of the hallway and scanned her watch impatiently while she waited. Shit, she was two minutes late. After a moment, the guard handed her ID back. Darcy tossed out a quick ‘thanks’ and scrambled towards the elevators just as the man in the elevator reached over and pressed a button beside the door.

“Thanks for holding the--” Darcy fell mute, watching as the doors started to slide closed. She was still several feet away. _He pressed the Close Door button!,_ Darcy thought indignantly. Then the asshole had the nerve to smile apologetically at her, fiddling with the brim of his baseball cap. He was probably some arrogant Shield Agent who couldn’t wait three more seconds to get to his meeting so that Darcy could board the elevator. Well, she wasn’t going to stand for it. Darcy came from a family of seven kids, five of which were boys. She’d learned not to take shit from men from a very early age. 

Determined to get into the elevator before it closed, Darcy practically threw herself inside. It worked in that she got inside in time, but it had the added consequence of crashing right into sunglasses asshole. “Easy sweetheart,” The man said, as steady hands caught her shoulders and kept her from tumbling over. He had a nice voice, for an asshole. Like honey poured into whiskey. Too bad it belonged to such a dick. 

The elevator doors clicked shut behind them and Darcy jerked back from him. “I’m not your sweetheart,” she snipped. She glanced at the panel of buttons and saw they were going to the same floor. Great. Darcy huffed and clutched her briefcase to her chest. It was plastered with stickers, including some of the Avengers, because Darcy refused to succumb completely to the corporate hive. 

“My apologies, ma’am,” the man said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. Darcy huffed again, silently staring a hole through the floor. Sunglasses asshole was smirking at her. Unbelievable. 

As they neared their collective stop, Darcy blurted. “You know, not holding the elevator is one thing, but hitting the door close button when someone is coming? That’s just plain shitty. Like Bond villain levels of shitty.” A look of surprise crossed the man’s face, probably at Darcy’s directness. Well, good. The doors dinged open and before he could reply Darcy ground out a “have a wonderful day,” because at least she had manners, and hurried out of the elevator. 

She was still muttering under her breath about it as she made her way toward conference room five. According to Peppers, this floor primarily housed communal space for the residents, including kitchens, living areas, and even a movie theater. There were also a dozen conference rooms of varying sizes, the one Darcy was heading to mere yards away at the end of the hall. When she poked her head into the room, she was relieved to see that Mr. Barton hadn’t arrived yet either. 

In true Stark fashion, it was more like a longue than a traditional conference room. Several couches and plush swivel chairs were clustered around a coffee table, the surface of which appeared to be some kind of tablet screen.There was even a pinball machine in the corner. Darcy sat down in one of the chairs, sliding her briefcase onto a side table and hurriedly fixing her no doubt messy hair. She wanted to make a professional impression on her first client and looking like she’d just gone through a wind tunnel wasn’t going to do that. The bags under her eyes were probably bad enough.

She’d stayed up all night researching yesterday, too nervous and excited to sleep. Not that Darcy hadn’t spent the last _four days_ since she’d gotten the assignment hyper fixating on Hawkeye’s public reputation. She’d read every tabloid article and fan blog entry about him at least three times by now. The earlier stuff was mostly tweets from adoring fans and cheezy Buzzfeed quizzes. Anything negative was about the Avengers or supers in general, not specific to Clint. Then, almost two months ago: a picture of Clint and his ex-wife leaving a lawyer’s office. “Trouble in the Nest? Hawkeye and Hawk-Wife Visit Divorce Lawyer.”

Darcy remembered rolling her eyes particularly hard at “Hawk-Wife”. From there, the story had been picked up by several other tabloids. The rumors became increasingly dramatic from there: that Clint and Laura were swingers, that Clint was leaving his wife for the Black Widow, even that he’d killed Laura and had Tony Stark replace her with a robot. Most of the theories were obviously fake, but the original story, that Clint had cheated on his wife, Darcy wasn’t so sure about. Pictures of an attractive woman leaving Clint’s house in the middle of the night had been all over the internet. Those pictures were most likely the origin of this whole scandal and even Darcy had to admit they didn’t look good.

Pepper had been ardent that Clint was a good guy getting screwed over by a malicious press, but sometimes people had a hard time recognizing hard truths about their friends. Not that it mattered whether Clint had cheated on his wife or not. Darcy’s job was to protect his reputation and the Avengers brand, regardless of what he’d done. She wasn’t trying to make a friend. Although, Darcy hoped Hawkeye was being honest about all of this. It would be easier to do her job if he was.

Darcy barely had time to pull her notepad out of her briefcase when there was a light knock on the door. Perfect, she’d made it just in time. Darcy smiled in greeting as the door slid open, but that smile died hard and fast when she saw who was stepping through it. “Sunglasses asshole?” Darcy whispered. The man raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable apart from his seemingly ever present smirk.

“It’s Clint, actually. Clint Barton.” Well, Darcy thought, _shit._

“I take it you’re Darcy Lewis?” Sungl-- Clint said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. Great, now they were trapped together. Caught somewhere between embarrassment and irritation, Darcy just stared at him. 

“Sunglasses asshole? That’s a new one,” Clint chuckled, sliding the sunglasses off his face and into his pocket. He was still wearing a hat, but now that she could see more of his face, Darcy didn’t know how she hadn’t recognized him before. She’d been staring at pictures of his face for a week after all. And it was a very nice face-- Darcy shook herself. What was she doing, admiring the features of a recently divorced man whose cheating scandal she was handling? Let alone one who was clearly a jerk? 

“I, uh, didn’t know your name,” Darcy replied. “I didn’t realize it was you… forgive me.” The last part was almost a mumble. She didn’t want to apologize, but given that they’d be working together for the foreseeable future, being rude to him would only screw herself over. Just her luck, Pepper would probably fire her for verbally assaulting her first charge.

Clint dropped into the chair across from her. “Look, Ms. Lewis, right?” Darcy nodded. “Don’t worry about it. Clearly we got off on the wrong foot. I’m impressed, really. Pepper mentioned that you were a force to be reckoned with but it seems like those tabloids won’t know what hit them.”

Darcy eyed him suspiciously. “Are you making fun of me, Mr. Barton?”

Clint put a hand to his hard dramatically. “I’d never.” Darcy’s eyebrow crept higher. “Truly,” he grinned and Darcy’s breath caught in her throat at the sight. “It’s water under the bridge.” He grew more serious then, sitting forward in his seat.

“Just so you know, the hold door button in that elevator has been broken since Thursday. The woman who usually does elevator maintenance for the Tower went into labor and is out on maternity leave. Her replacement doesn’t start until tomorrow. I thought all the Tower residents knew.”

They probably did, Darcy thought, but she wasn’t a resident so she wouldn’t have known. Suddenly ashamed Darcy gave him a second, more sincere apology. “In that case, I’m sorry for snapping at you Mr. Barton. I hadn’t realized the button was broken.”

“I tried to push it anyway…” Clint shrugged, “I guess it must have looked like I was closing it on you. I get why you were upset from your side of things. Even if you overreacted.”

“Beg your pardon?” Darcy said.

“Come on sweetheart, you practically ripped me a new one in that elevator. Over an elevator door.” He didn’t seem mean spirited, just the kind of quietly smug that drove Darcy crazy. 

“Well, maybe you deserved it. Or you would have if you’d, I mean if I’d--” Darcy clicked her mouth shut. “You know what I mean.” They stared each other down for a moment. Finally, Darcy said “let’s just agree to disagree and move on. We should talk about the plan for repairing your reputation.” Clint nodded, relaxing again. Darcy reminded herself that she was supposed to be professional, not bickering with an Avenger. It probably wasn’t a good idea to piss off a superhero who could snap her like a twig if he wanted. And, as much as she hated to admit it, the idea wasn’t unappealing. 

Darcy was officially going to hell. 

“Look, Mr. Barton--”

“Clint.” Clint interrupted, smiling at her. 

“Mr. Barton,” Darcy continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “I won’t take up much of your time today. I just want to explain a bit about what it is that a PR manager does and what our game plan is moving forward.” Just like that, businesswoman Darcy was back in the driver’s seat. To Clint’s credit, he listened intently as Darcy explained her job and went over effective strategies for recovering from scandals. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say and asked thoughtful questions. It took the edge off of Darcy’s ire. 

“There are three main parts of any good celebrity comeback. The first, and most important, is discrediting the scandal itself. We need to get the real facts out there. Then we’ll work on establishing a new narrative. The press has been plastered bullshit about you all over the place. We need to give them another, more positive story. We’re talking public appearances, charitable acts, etc. The last will be refining your public persona moving forward so nothing like this happens again. Social media is a big part of that. Are you on TikTok?” Darcy asked.

Clint shook his head blankly. “I have a private Facebook.” Darcy sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. 

When their meeting was finished twenty minutes later, Darcy stood. Clint held the conference room door open for her, which Darcy told herself wasn’t cute and they walked silently down the hall together. They stopped in front of the elevator and when Clint pushed the call button Darcy said, “Look, I’m going to work my ass off to make these rumors go away. You don’t have to worry about our… differences in the elevator getting in the way of that.”

Clint hit her with that heart stopping grin again. “I appreciate that, Ms. Lewis. I need you to know that I didn’t cheat on my wife. I’ve never been and will never be a cheater.” He seemed so sincere. Darcy felt a moment of extreme sympathy for this man. A superhero who had saved the world on multiple occasions having lies about his personal relationships splashed across the internet.

“I believe you, Clint.” They smiled at each other for a moment before the ding of the elevator made Darcy turn her head. “After you,” she said. 

“Oh, I’m actually going to take the stairs,” Clint said, and the smirk was back full force. “Wouldn’t want there to be another button misunderstanding.” He tossed her a mock salute and strolled away down the hall. Darcy stared after him, mouth agape. She took everything nice she’d thought about him back. “Who wears sunglasses inside?” She hollered down the hall after him. Clint only chuckled.

This job was going to be a disaster.

\---

A clipped “eyes up” was Clint’s only warning before a fist collided with his stomach. He coughed, dropping to his knees, but rolling in time to avoid the elbow he knew was about to come down on his back. He grabbed onto Natasha’s forearm, using his momentum to try and sweep her legs. Natasha only lept back from his counter attack and threw one of her own. This punch was even faster and caught him in the jaw instead of the stomach. This time when he dropped, he raised his hands in a plea. “Mercy, Nat. Mercy.” Natasha huffed, climbing to her feet and grabbing her water bottle off the bench a few feet away.

“You’re distracted,” she commented, crouching beside Clint to help him off the mat. Besides the two of them, the Avenger’s personal gym was empty. Aside from the occasional drop in from Sam or sometimes Steve, no one else in the facility trained as early in the morning as them. Soldiers rose at the crack of dawn, but spies got up when the moon was still out. 

“Distracted? Says who?” Clint asked, allowing his best friend to haul him to his feet. 

“Says me,” Natasha smirked. “I just wiped the floor with you, маленькая птица.” She tossed him his own water bottle. 

“You always wipe the floor with me, Natasha.” Clint retorted.

“True, but not this badly. Be honest with me. Where’s your mind at?” Clint eyed the redhead. He wasn’t the spill his feelings type. His intelligence training and years in the field had chased that out of him. Still, he and Natasha had years of watching each other's backs. If he was going to talk to anyone about what he was feeling, it would be her. 

“Just everything with Laura. Not even the gossip columns. That’s just the icing on the shitty cake. I never thought the two of us would end up like this.” He ruffled his hair, grimacing at how sweaty it was. “I mean, I knew we’d never have a normal marriage. But I thought we were happy. I loved her and she loved me, even if it wasn’t in the way everyone thought it was.”

Clint grimaced. “I never thought I’d get that.” He shared a commiserating looking with Natasha. “People like us rarely do. I have a wife. A house. Shit, between the picket fence and Lucky, I was living in a Better Homes catalog. I was so happy to have it. Even if it was a lie. Even if it tore my friendship with Laura to shreds. Pathetic, right?”

Natasha knocked Clint’s shoulder with his own, the closest she ever got to tenderness. “You aren’t pathetic, Barton. You just care too much. You’re still trying to do right by her.” Natasha scowled. “Which makes one of you.” Natasha and Laura had also been great friends before all this. Clint had wondered for a while if the two of them… but it didn’t matter anymore. Ever since the divorce, Natasha scowled every time Clint brought up Laura’s name. 

“Please don’t start this again,” Clint sighed, then perked up a bit. “I met with the team’s new PR rep yesterday.” 

Natasha quirked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Another corporate type?”

Clint chuckled. “Not exactly. Rode the elevator up with her to the conference room. I don’t think she realized who I was because she chewed me out, thinking I tried to close the elevator doors on her. Didn’t back down when I walked into our meeting a few seconds later and she realized who I was either.”

Natasha smirked. “Good. I’m sure you deserved it.”

“You wound me, Spider,” Clint replied. Thoughts of Darcy Lewis flashed through his mind. She was smart and clearly confident. Clint hoped she’d be able to put this scandal to rest. Darcy was damn pretty too. Not that he’d noticed. Not that it mattered; especially since she seemed to already dislike him. Then again, Clint had never been good at making rational choices when it came to women. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling at her in the elevator, even though she’d glared at him. It had only made him want to make her smile back more. 

Shaking his head at himself, Clint got into a fighting stance once more and gestured for Natasha to join him on the mat. “I think you’ll like her. The PR manager.” Clint pictured Natasha and the spit fire he’d met in the elevator and shuddered. God help them all if the two became friends. 

“I’m sure I will.” Natasha said, as she got ready for another fight. Her eyes glittered in that knowing way of hers. “I’m sure I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration for Tony's extra ass conference room, in case anyone was wondering.  
> https://www.rockhall.com/sites/default/files/styles/images_autox800/public/2019-11/mcr_wide.jpg?itok=iKflsHbJ


End file.
